Review: Under the Henfluence by Tove Danovich

I have no interest in having chickens myself but I am fascinated by them in theory. Plus I’m always happy to learn about new things so I can be that irritating person at dinner parties boring everyone with facts that I think are interesting and everyone else is over hearing about. I do, however, think that the facts in Tove Danovich’s non-fiction book about her own adventures with backyard chickens, and all the things that she learned about the hobby chicken industry along the way would be interesting to everyone.

When Danovich and her husband moved to Portland, she was able to start her long wished for backyard flock of chickens. She was enchanted with the fluffy little chicks she raised, and curious about the industry that brought the little peepers to her. Weaving anecdotes from her own girls with what she learns by interviewing people in the chicken industry, including people who show chickens, those who run a rooster rescue, own the hatchery, and more. While she celebrates the love of chickens and backyard flocks, she is not insensible to the terrible conditions that currently exist, especially at the industrial level, contrasting it with a far gentler history of chicken husbandry practiced by past generations. The horrors are hard to read (and might convince some to stop eating chicken altogether) but they are tempered by the delight of things like chicken training classes and the realistic, if somewhat sobering, picture surrounding the conservation of feral chickens in Hawaii.

The book is well researched and fact-filled. Danovich’s own experiences with her backyard flock are engaging. When she loses a chicken, the reader is crushed along with her. And both the personal and journalistic pieces are integrated together well, making this a fun and informative read. Those with a love for or fascination with chickens will definitely enjoy the read but those who just have a natural curiosity about the world will also be happily satisfied.